Fenton Family Secrets
by Sennalyn
Summary: While helping clean out his grandparent's old farmhouse, Danny discovers an old family secret. Complete.
1. Default Chapter

**Fenton Family Secrets **

**Part One**

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Danny Phantom_; Butch Hartman does. This story was written just for fun, so enjoy!

* * *

The Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle bounced violently along the winding gravel road throwing billowing clouds of dust and rocks behind it. In the back seat Danny Fenton moaned as his stomach lurched with each bump and pothole. He had spent the majority of the ride up to his grandparent's farm trying to concentrate on the passing wheat fields, and pastures filled with horses and cows, but nothing could take his mind off the growing queasiness.

"Ohhhh! Are we there, yet?" He asked with a groan.

Next to him, Jasmine rolled her eyes and sighed. "What are you, _five_?" She asked. "That's the tenth time you've asked mom and dad that question!"

Normally Danny would have had a witty retort to his older sister's comment, but this was not one of those times. All he could do in response was moan.

"You're not going to be sick, are you?" Jazz asked him, scooting closer to the door and further away from her brother.

"Of _course_ he's not going to be sick!" Patriarch Jack Fenton declared as he rounded yet another bend at break-neck speed. "He's a _Fenton_! And, besides, we're _here_!"

Jack slammed on the brakes, bringing the vehicle to a screeching halt in front of a two-storey farmhouse. Leaping out of the driver's seat, he threw his arms out. "The Fenton Family Homestead!" He announced.

"Finally!" Danny muttered as he climbed out of the back seat and went to stand beside his father. He took a deep breath and let the fresh country air clear his mind and settle his stomach. After a few moments, he began to feel better; that is, until he got a good look at his father's childhood home.

The Fenton Family Homestead had definitely seen better days, Danny observed. The white paint was peeling, two shutters were askew and one was missing completely. The unlatched screen door banged against the side of the house when the slightest breeze went by, and the stairs leading up to the leaning front porch were missing a couple steps. The hedges and rose bushes were overgrown and the large oak tree loomed ominously over the holey roof.

"One day, Danny, all this will be yours," Jack Fenton declared, throwing his massive arm over his son's slender shoulders.

"Oh, Jack, don't be silly," Jack's petite wife Maddie chided gently. "I'm sure your parents will sell this old place now that they've moved to Florida."

"Hmm. You're probably right, Maddie. Oh, well. Enjoy the Fenton Family Homestead while you can, son. I guess you won't be getting the old place after all."

Jack released Danny and headed up to the house, followed by Maddie and Jazz. Danny hung back and sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was a crumbling old house in the middle of nowhere. It was bad enough he had to spend his Spring Break here, helping pack up his grandparents' belongings. He missed his friends Tucker and Sam, and wondered what they were doing at that very moment.

"Probably watching movies in Sam's home theater," he mumbled. "or hanging out at the mall like _normal_ teenagers!"

"Come on, Danny," his father hollered. "Let's get this show on the road!"

Danny sighed again, and followed his family up the rickety steps.

Jack unlocked the front door, and burst into the house. "Home sweet home!" He paused for a moment, then dashed upstairs.

Danny followed his mother and sister into the adjacent living room, wrinkling his nose as he inhaled. The place had an old, musty smell to it, and everything was coated in a thick layer of dust. It looked like it hadn't been lived in for years.

"Just how long have Grandma and Grandpa Fenton been travelling anyway?" he asked.

"Hmm, I guess it's been a while," his mother answered, running a finger along the dusty fireplace mantle. "They spent last summer rafting down the Amazon; they were in Egypt digging up mummies before that, and the year before that they were dog-sledding in the Arctic. Your grandparents have been on the go since they retired ten years ago."

"Obviously," Jazz said as she picked up a framed photograph and blew the dust off it. "What made them finally decide to settle down?"

"Settle down?" Jack Fenton burst into the room. "The Fentons _never_ settle down! Florida is merely a pit stop on their whirl-wind 'round the world ad_ven_ture! That's why we're here to pack this place up and put it in storage. So, let's get started: Maddie, Jasmine, you two pack up the stuff downstairs, Danny, you take the attic, and I will take the barn out back!"

"The attic?" Danny squeaked. "Oh, man! Why me?"

"Oh, Danny, it won't be that bad," Maddie soothed. "Your father and I took most of his stuff with us after we were married, so I don't think there will be much to pack up. You go on up and check it out while Jazz and I get some boxes out of the RV."

"Okay, mom."

Danny walked carefully up the creaking wooden stairs to the second floor. It had been several years since he last visited his grandparents' home during a rare family get-together. It seemed so bright and full of life then, but felt just the opposite now. The walls were dingy, the furniture was ragged and the whole place seemed sad and abandoned. Although he tried not to think of it, in the back of his mind Danny wondered if the old place might be haunted.

At the end of the hallway, a dirty frayed rope hung from the ceiling. Danny pulled on it carefully and the door in the ceiling opened. He reached up and grabbed the folded wooden ladder leading up to the attic and slowly unfolded it until it reached the hardwood floor. Danny peered up into the opening. He could see a shaft of light pierce the dimness; dust motes glittered in it.

"Well, I'd better get this over with," Danny mumbled, and began climbing the ladder.

Once up in the attic, Danny paused a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim light. Only one window was exposed; the other was boarded up. Danny noticed a bare light bulb in the ceiling and reached for the long string to turn it on. When he pulled on it, the bulb flashed, popped, then went dead.

"Oh, great! Just what I need! I guess I'll be sorting through stuff in the dark!"

Peering into the far corner of the dingy attic, Danny could see there were only a few old dining chairs, a small side table, three oversized cardboard boxes and an old trunk. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all,_ he thought.

"Hey, Danny!" Jasmine's voice rose up through the attic opening. "Whatcha got up there?"

Danny knelt down by the opening and looked down at his sister. "Not much, really," he said, and listed off the items he'd seen. "I can just lower the chairs and stuff down to you, but I'm not sure about the rest. I might need help with those."

"Okay, well let's just get the furniture down first, then I'll come up and see what's left."

"Okay."

Together the siblings worked to remove the furniture from the attic: Danny lowered the items one by one down to his sister, who set them aside and waited to take the next item. Soon there were only the three large boxes and the trunk left. Jazz climbed the ladder and soon the two were lifting and moving the boxes closer to the opening.

"Wow, these are really heavy!" Danny declared. "I wonder what's in them?"

"Why don't we open one and see?"

Danny shrugged. "Why not?"

Danny reached for the nearest box, pulling open the folded cover when a sudden chill rushed through him, and an icy breath escaped his lips. _Oh, no!_ He thought. _Not here! Not now!_ Before he could react, he was knocked backwards and tumbled on the floor, taking his sister with him.

"Danny! What are you doi . . ." Jazz's voice was cut off as a spectral being burst from the opened cardboard box.

"Ha ha! I am the Box Ghost!" The specter announced. "Ruler over all cardboard boxes! Beware!"

Momentarily stunned, Danny and Jazz stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the pudgy, overall-clad ghost hovering several feet above them. Recovering first, Danny jumped to his feet, ready to do battle with one of his more annoying foes, then remembered his sister behind him.

_Oh, no! I can't go ghost with Jazz here! What am I going to **do**?_


	2. Fenton Family Secrets Part Two

**Fenton Family Secrets**

**Part Two**

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Danny Phantom_, Butch Hartman does. Cheers!

* * *

_Oh, no! I can't go ghost with Jazz here! What am I going to do?_

Thinking quickly, Danny turned and pulled his sister up off the floor. "Jazz! It's a _ghost_!" Danny cried. "Go get mom and dad!"

"What about you?"

"I'll keep him busy till you get back! Now _go_!"

Jazz paused for a moment, then gave Danny an small smile before quickly descending the ladder and screaming, "MOM! DAD! THERE'S A GHOST! IN THE ATTIC!"

When he was certain his sister was gone, Danny squeezed his eyes shut and called on his ghost powers. He embraced the chill that shuddered his flesh-and-blood body, reached deep inside himself, turned himself inside out, from flesh to spirit. The weight of his human body evaporated, and with the sudden lightness came intense strength and power. When he opened his eyes, they glowed a ghostly green, and could see things no human could. At that moment he saw The Box Ghost juggling his grandparents' possessions with glee, and a rage stirred inside him.

"Hey! Put those boxes down!" Danny shouted.

"But, I am The Box Ghost! I own _all_ cardboard boxes!"

"Not _those_ boxes you don't!" Danny cried. "_Those_ boxes belong to _my_ family, and I demand that you put them down _right now_!"

The Box Ghost stopped juggling the boxes and sneered at Danny.

"Very well, I will put these boxes down, _on top of your head_!"

He lifted one of the boxes up over his head then threw it at Danny. Danny closed his eyes tightly, concentrating on making himself transparent as air. The box flew through him; Danny could feel the contents inside as they passed through his body. It was a box of old clothing: his grandfather's suits and Army uniform; his grandmother's wedding dress and best Sunday dresses; his father's baby clothes and shoes. The box passed through Danny and fell down the attic opening, landing with a loud _thud_ on the floor below.

"Well, that's one way to get the boxes down," Danny thought aloud, then shouted at The Box Ghost. "Ha! You missed me!"

The Box Ghost snatched the second box out of mid-air, throwing it with all his might. Danny went invisible again, and noted this box was full of old family pictures and photo albums, along with a slide projector and a box of slides. He realized the items might be damaged when they hit the floor, and quickly raced through the opening and grabbed the box, setting it aside gently before shooting back up into the attic.

"Missed me again!" Danny's cockiness got the better of him as the third and final box slammed into his now-solid ghost body, sending it and him flying through the opening towards the floor. Danny landed on top of the box of clothing with a _thunk_, and the third box landed on top of him, sending the air rushing out of his lungs.

"HURRY! THE GHOST! IT'S UP HERE!" Jazz's exaggeratedly loud voice flew up the stairs, and Danny panicked as he heard footsteps rushing up towards him. He quickly went invisible and flew through the box, back up into the attic. The Box Ghost was waiting for him, the old trunk held high over his head.

"I don't have time for this!" Danny growled. "Put that trunk down _now_ and get out of here!"

"Never! I am The Box Ghost!"

"IT'S UP HERE! IN THE ATTIC!" Jazz cried from below. "DANNY! DANNY, ARE YOU OKAY?"

"DON'T WORRY, SON, I'M COMING!" Jack Fenton called. "AND, LUCKILY I REMEMBERED TO PACK THE FENTON GHOST PEELER!"

"Look, if you don't leave right now, my dad's going to come up here and he'll kick your butt worse than I _ever_ have!" Danny threatened. "Do you want to find out exactly what the Fenton Ghost Peeler can _do_?"

The Box Ghost's eyes widened in fear. He dropped the trunk, and fled through the roof with a final, "_Beware_!"

Danny's body returned to normal just as his father's broad shoulders squeezed through opening in the attic floor. Jack Fenton pulled himself up and leapt to his son's side, the Fenton Ghost Peeler at the ready.

"The ghost! Where is it?"

"He . . . it w . . went th . . that way," Danny said, still shivering from the ghostly chill. "Th . . . through the roof . . ff!"

"Quick, Maddie! Go grab the Fenton Ghost Fisher out of the RV! We might be able to catch that thing yet!" Jack turned and jumped back down the opening.

Once his parents were gone, Danny fell to his knees and sighed with relief. "That was close," he whispered to himself. "_Too_ close!"

"Danny? Are you okay?" Jazz's voice was soft and slightly shaky. Danny felt her hand on his shoulder, its warmth moved through him like hot cocoa on a cold winter day, and he smiled.

"I'm fine."

Jazz let out her breath, and knelt beside her brother. "So, how did all those boxes get downstairs?"

"The ghost threw them at me," Danny explained, then hastily added. "Oh, but he missed me completely! It's a good thing I have such good reflexes, huh?"

"Uh, yeah. Whatever you say. So, I guess we only have this trunk to get down . . . oh, no! The trunk!"

Although he had been staring at it, Danny hadn't noticed the trunk's lid had popped open, and some of the contents had spilled out.

"Oh, man! I hope nothing got broken!" He said, as he and Jazz began picking items up off the floor.

Danny picked up an old photo album, and began to thumb through it. A loose photograph dropped to the floor, and he stooped to pick it up. The picture showed four people standing in front of the very house they were in. Danny recognized his grandparents in the picture, though they were much younger; about his parents' age. The boy in the picture was probably his father, Danny thought, but the girl standing next to him was a stranger.

"Hey, Jazz, who's this?" Danny showed his sister the photograph and pointed to the girl. Jazz looked at it and frowned.

"I don't know. I've never seen her before."

"Danny! Jasmine! Are you still up there?" Their father called up to them.

"Yeah, dad we're here," Jazz answered.

Jack and Maddie climbed into the attic still carrying their ghost-catching equipment.

"Did you catch the ghost?" Danny asked.

"No. It got away." His father's shoulders slumped in defeat, and Danny immediately felt bad for asking. "But, what's important is that you're okay. You are okay, aren't you son?"

"Yeah, dad, sure. I'm fine."

"Good! Now then, where were we?"

"Uh, dad?"

"Yes, Danny?"

"Who's this girl with you and Grandma and Grandpa Fenton?" Danny held the photograph up for his father to see.

Jack's face softened, and Danny thought he saw sadness in his father's eyes, even through the small smile on his face.

"I haven't seen this picture in ages!" Jack sighed, then shook his head and stuffed the photo into his pocket. "But! We don't have time for a trip down memory lane today! The moving van will be here tomorrow, and we still have a lot of work to do!

"But, dad!" Danny protested. "Who's that girl?"

"Not now, son!"

"But . . ."

"GET BACK TO WORK!"

Danny winced at his father's gruff response. _Wow, he really seems upset! I must've hit a nerve!_

Jack and Maddie climbed back down into the house. Jazz turned to her brother and shrugged before following them down. Danny sat down cross-legged on the dusty floor and thumbed through the photo album. On page after page the girl's face smiled up at him. There she was with his father, both of them sitting on the stairs of the front porch eating watermelon, here she was reaching for a brightly wrapped gift under the Christmas tree, and finally she and his father were sitting on the sofa, both of them grinning at the camera and making rabbit ears behind each other's heads.

"Who _are_ you?" Danny whispered to the smiling girl. She had the same shiny black hair and sparkling blue eyes as his father and grandparents; and like his own. "She must be related to my dad somehow. Dad never mentioned any other family - only Grandma and Grandpa Fenton."

Sighing he closed the photo album, turned back to the trunk, and began picking up the items scattered on the floor: more pictures of the mystery girl, a pair of pink leg warmers, black lace gloves, some jewelry, cassette tapes of Blondie, Bruce Springsteen, and the soundtrack to _Xanadu_, a small diary and a high school yearbook. Danny thumbed through the yearbook and found her smiling face among the senior class, and read aloud her name underneath her picture: "Danielle Jean Fenton!"

"DANNY!" Jazz's voice jolted Danny from his reverie. "DAD SAYS HE NEEDS YOU DOWN HERE NOW!"

"I'M BUSY!" Danny called down.

"I DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE BUSY!" Jack hollered. "GET DOWN HERE _NOW_!"

Danny sighed and slapped the yearbook closed. He tossed it in the trunk, slammed the lid shut, and started dragging the heavy case over to the opening.

"Wait a minute," he said to himself. "If I take the trunk down now, I'll never get another chance to look through this stuff. Maybe if I just leave it up here, no one will notice. Then I can come back and look through it later."

Danny smiled at his own cleverness, then hurried back downstairs to help his father.

* * *

The Fenton family bedded down in the RV for the night. They had been tense all day due to Danny questioning his father about the girl in the picture. Whenever Danny tried to bring her up, his father would brusquely change the subject, or find more packing for Danny to do. Jazz yelled at him to shut up because everyone was starting to feel uncomfortable, and his mother kindly asked him to leave the subject alone. Danny reluctantly agreed, but he was determined to find some answers before they left the next day. When he was certain everyone was asleep, he grabbed his backpack and a flashlight, slipped quietly out of the RV, and headed back into the house.

Danny carefully ascended the stairs to the second floor, then climbed the ladder up into the attic. The trunk sat where Danny left it; no one had noticed it wasn't downstairs with the other boxes and pieces of furniture. Danny opened the lid of the trunk, pulled out the yearbook and diary and sat down cross-legged on the dusty wooden floor. He thumbed through the yearbook, pausing to read the captions under each photograph of Danielle. He learned that Danielle played outfield on the Varsity softball team, and was editor of the yearbook. Danny smiled when he saw the pictures of her hamming it up in her Home Ec cooking class, posing with her girl friends in the hallway, and swinging a bat during a softball game. Turning to the back of the book, Danny skimmed the notes written by Danielle's friends, and even a teacher or two, but it was the haphazardly scribbled note in the lower left-hand corner that caught Danny's eye.

_Dani-Jean, you're the best big sister a kid could ask for! Love, Jacky_

"Big sister?" Danny wondered aloud. "That's _it_! I _knew_ it! Danielle was . . . _is_ my dad's _sister_! That makes her my aunt! Mine and Jazz's! Wow! That is so cool!"

He closed the book and frowned. "But, what happened to her?" He wondered aloud. "Where is she now?"

Danny set the yearbook aside and picked up the diary. While part of him balked at the idea of reading a teenage girl's diary, another part of him wanted to know more about his aunt. He hoped to find the answers in the diary.

The book was small, with a plain white cover that had the word "Diary" printed across it in shiny silver, and a silver lock on the side. Danny used his ghost powers to open it, and began scanning the pages filled with girly handwriting and flowery doodles in the margins. He stopped on a random entry and read:

_September 19 _

_Dear Diary, _

_Today was the first day of my last year of high school. I'm so excited to finally be a Senior, but kinda sad, too. It's the last year I'll walk these halls, eat in the cafeteria, and sit in these classrooms. My best friend Stacey and I have a few classes together so it won't be all bad. This may be the last year I'll play softball, too. I hope I can play in college, but I don't even know where I'm going yet. Dad says I should go to the University of Wisconsin in Madison. "It's a Fenton Family Tradition!" He says. But, I'm not so sure. Anyway, I have tons homework (already!), so I'd better go. _

_Dani-Jean_

The following two entries Danny read were similarly themed - pressure from her parents to get good enough grades to get into the University, hanging out with friends, and looking forward to playing softball in the spring. Danny sighed, and turned to the back of the book and read the June 12th entry:

_Dear Diary, _

_Graduation is tomorrow afternoon - Friday the 13th! Ha, ha. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. It'll be the last time I step foot in my high school gym. The last time I see many of my friends, too. But, Stacey told me today that she got into UW-Madison, so we'll be going to college together! I'm so excited! I hope we can be roommates! Well, the next time I write in this book, I'll be a High School Graduate! That sounds so weird, but so cool, too! _

_Dani-Jean_

Danny turned the page and found it empty; in fact, the rest of the book was blank. June 12th was Danielle Fenton's last diary entry. _What happened after that?_ Danny wondered. _Was there another diary somewhere, or did she just stop writing?_

"And, why doesn't my father want to talk about her?"


	3. Fenton Family Secrets Part Three

**Fenton Family Secrets**

**Part Three**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much for all the great comments, everyone! I'm sorry I haven't had time to respond to each and every one of you individually, but please know how much I appreciate your comments and encouragement! And for those of you wondering, this is not a continuation of my previous _Danny Phantom_ fanfic "Origins". That is a stand-alone story that I decided not to pursue any further. This story and the sequels are totally different. 

I hope you will continue to enjoy the story! Cheers!

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Danny Phantom_, Butch Hartman does.

* * *

The next day, the Fentons finished packing up the remainder of Jack's childhood home. Danny longed to confront his father with what he'd learned about the mysterious girl in the photograph, but he didn't want to have an argument, either. Finally, as the last of the boxes had been filled and taped shut, Jack called for his son. 

"Danny! I have some boxes I need help with."

"Okay, dad."

Danny picked up the two boxes his father pointed to, and followed him outside. He set them down next to a stack of boxes that Maddie and Jazz were busy labelling then turned to his father.

"Dad," Danny said. "I . . . I'm sorry about yesterday. The picture I found in the attic, I mean. I didn't mean to upset you, I just wanted to know who . . ."

"It's alright, son," Jack replied, gently wrapping his armaround Danny's shoulders. "I probably should've told you and Jazz about her a long time ago."

"So, who is she?" Jazz asked. "An old girlfriend, or something?"

"No, Jazz," Danny said. "The girl in the picture with dad and Grandma and Grandpa Fenton is his sister. Right, dad?"

"Sister?" Jazz exclaimed. "Dad, you have a sister, and never _told_ us!"

"I found her yearbook in the trunk in the attic," Danny continued. "Her name is Danielle."

Jack squeezed Danny's shoulders, then reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the picture Danny had found the day before. He gazed lovingly at it; his sister and his younger self smiled back at him. "That's right, son. Dani-Jean was my big sister. Your mother and I named _you_ after her."

"Oh, great," Danny muttered. "I was named after a girl!"

"I never told you kids about her, because . . . well, she's gone, and it . . . it's not important now."

"Not important?" Jazz exclaimed. "Dad, how can you _say_ that? Of course it's important! She's your sister! She's our _aunt_!"

"I don't want to talk about it, Jasmine. Not now, not _ever_!"

"But, dad!" Jazz argued.

"NO! It's over and done with. My sister is gone!_ Forever_!"

"But where, dad?" Danny asked. "Where is she? What happened to her?"

"Very well, if you must know, I'll tell you: she was taken into the _Ghost Zone_!

* * *

"It was the night she graduated from High School," Jack Fenton said, his voice low and filled with regret. The Fentons sat together at the dining table in their home. A week had passed since they packed up the Fenton Family Homestead, and Jack had been quiet and moody ever since. Maddie tried to convince him to tell their children exactly what happened to his sister, their aunt Danielle, and Jack had finally, grudgingly agreed. "Dani-Jean and I were heading home after a post-graduation celebration. I had just turned sixteen, and she let me drive her car. We were almost home when it happened . . ." _

* * *

_

Begin Flashback

The night of Friday, June 13th was a dark, moonless one, but sixteen-year-old Jack Fenton wasn't concerned. He knew the country roads like the back of his hand, and deftly took each twist and turn with confidence and skill.

"Thanks for letting me drive your car, Dani-Jean!" He said. "Gives me a chance to break in my brand new driver's license!"

"You're more than welcome, Jacky, but please just try not to _break_ the car! It still has to get me to college!" She fiddled with the radio knobs, and harrumphed in disgust. "I _hate_ that we can't get a decent radio station out here in the boonies! I cannot _wait_ to get to the University! Surely they'll have decent music there!"

Finally a rock-n-roll radio station sputtered through the static and Danielle sighed. "Well, I guess it's better than listening to the Farm Report. Again."

On the radio, Elton John sang "Crocodile Rock".

"What? Are you kidding me?" Jack demanded. "This is a _great_ song!" He started singing along, and Danielle groaned and stuck her fingers in her ears.

They rounded another bend; ahead of them lay one of the rare straight stretches of country road. In the distance a pair headlights loomed.

"Hmm. That's odd," Jack said. "I wouldn't think there'd be anyone else out here this time of night."

"That's not what's odd, kiddo," Danielle pointed out. "What's odd is that those headlights are _green_!"

The two sat silently watching the glowing green headlights come closer and closer. Soon they could see that the whole vehicle was glowing an eerie green-grey colour. Suddenly the static on the radio became deafeningly loud, completely obliterating the song. Danielle fumbled with the knobs but couldn't turn the sound down.

"Sissy! Just turn it off!" Jack shouted over the din.

"I'm trying! It won't shut off! What are we going to do?"

The ghost car was right in front of them, and seemed to be taking up the whole road. Jack slammed on the breaks and tried to turn the wheel, but the car wouldn't respond. The static became ghoulish, ear-piercing shrieks, and the next few moments of Jack Fenton's life moved in slow motion.

The ghost car overcame them, passing through Danielle's car. Jack could see the hideously twisted faces of the ghost driver and two ghost passengers in the front seat. Their skin glowed an other-worldly greenish colour, and their eyes glowed a fiery red. One of the creatures passed through Jack's body, touching his very soul with its icy fingers; its shrieking voice rang in his ears. He tried to turn to his sister, but was frozen in place. He tried to scream, but he couldn't breathe. It seemed to go on forever, but it was over in an instant.

When the ghost car passed, Jack was finally able to stop the car. He was sweating and shivering at the same time. He turned to check on his sister.

"Dani-Jean! Are you . . ."

But, Danielle wasn't there. The lap belt, still buckled, lay limp on the tattered leather seat, but his sister wasn't in it.

Jack leaped out of the driver's seat, and turned to face the ghost car, which had stopped a few yards away. Inside he saw the hideous specters, laughing and screaming their horrendous scream. Among them, wrapped tightly in their wispy, green tentralled arms he saw Danielle. She was screaming, too, screaming his name, eyes wide with terror. Jack ran towards the ghost car, but it sped off, flying with lightning speed down the road, finally exploding in a burst of light. Jack was knocked off his feet by the blast, and when he sat up, the road before him was empty, and though the night was silent, Jack Fenton could still hear his sister's voice ringing in his ears: "_Jacky! Jackyyy, help meee_!"

_End Flashback_

* * *

"I couldn't help my sister," Jack said with a sigh of regret. "I was too paralyzed with fear. I . . . I failed her."

"It's okay, dad," Danny said, struggling to find something comforting to say to his father.

"Yeah, dad," Jazz concurred. "There wasn't anything you _could_ do!"

"But, I should've done _some_thing!" Jack cried. "I should've _tried _to do something!"

"Now, Jack," Maddie soothed. "Don't beat yourself up over this! It was a long time ago, and besides, Danielle ca . . ."

Before Maddie could finish her sentence, Jack interrupted, pounding his fist on the table: "I swore at that moment I would do _everything_ in my power to find my sister! I spent _years_ building and perfecting a portal into the Ghost World, creating weapons to capture and destroy the ghosts who took my sister!" He sighed again, and sank back down into his chair. "But, as the years passed, I realized I would probably never find her - not the sister I knew, anyway. So, I had to give her up - forget her. Forever. But, I could and _would_ still get my revenge on the _entire population_ of the Ghost Zone!"

"But, Jack," Maddie began. "Danielle . . ."

"No!" Jack exclaimed, rising from the table. "I'm done talking about this! Done talking about her! She's gone and she's never coming back! I don't want her name mentioned in this house ever again!"

Maddie opened her mouth to protest, but Jack stopped her: "Never again!"

Jack stormed down to the lab; each angry step shook the house. Maddie put her head in her hands and sighed.

"Mom?"

Maddie put her hand up to silence her son. "No, Danny, no more. It's over." Then she rose, and followed her husband downstairs.


End file.
